Tearing strip package



Jan.6, 1942. X. J.*R.T| DA| 2,268,970

TEARING STRIP PACKAGE- Filed Feb: 3, 1940 .BorroM INVENTOR Ja'bwR 717w.

ATTORNE S Ever-67 Patented Jan. 6, 1942 PATENT rice TEARING STRIP PACKAGE John Tindal, West Springfield, Mass., assignor to Package Machinery Company, Springfield, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application February 3, 1940, ,Serial No. 317,055 I 2 Claims. (.Cl. 229-51) I This invention relates to improved packages provided with tearing strips and is particularly designed for packages of cigarettes. One object of the invention is to provide an improved package of this character in which the tearing strip may be so arranged as to remove the entire top of the package to render the contents accessible.

Another objectis to provide a package of this character which may be produced. economically and simply by the use of automatic machinery. Additional objects will appear from the following description and claims.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective detail of an article par-, tially wrapped in accordance with my invention;

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are similar views at'later stages; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective detail of the completed package standing upright, that is to say upon that surface at the left in Fig. 4. v The characteristics of the package itself can best be understood from a' consideration of the method by which it is made. In considering the drawing it is of importance to keep clearly in mind the different surfaces of the package, as the wrapper is applied to the article in an unconventional way. The bottom and top of the package will in the following description refer to the surfaces which occupy these positions in the completely wrapped article rather than to the surfaces which may happen to be at thetop or bottom during the wrapping. The invention is particularly adaptable for cigarette packages and in the following description this type of package will be taken into consideration.

Cigarettes are commonly wrapped in an inner foil wrapper covered with a cup or pouch "and then finally wrapped in a moisture proof, sealed wrapper of some transparent cellulose compound. The cigarettes extend lengthwise from the bottom to the top of the package and in use the cellulose wrapper is desirably torn completely off from the top of the package, exposing the 1,965,524 datedJuly 3, 1934, so that one end [2 extends outwardly beyond the adjacent margin of the wrapper. This tearing strip is spaced inwardly from the edge of the wrapper a distance slightly more than the folding margin which is to be allowed for folding the edges of the wrapper down against the article.

The article is then brought into contact with the wrapper with one of its sides against the middle portion of the wrapper, and the wrapper is folded over upon the faces of the article as shown in Fig. 1. The'bottom and top of the article are thus left exposed and the next operation is to cover them. A tuck I3 is first formed and then overlapping folds l4, this leaving a tubular extension of the wrapper extending beyond the second side I 6 as shown in Big. 2.

. wrapper from this point on. The tubular wrapper extension is first formed with a tuck l1 against the second side It of the article and the Overlapping flaps l8 and H! are then formed in such a manner as to produce a composite flap 20 adjacent the top of the package. It should .be noted that with the folding down of these overlappingflaps th end It of the tearing strip.

is brought down against the second side of the article and is preferably caused to extend slightly beyond it so that it may be grasped easily. This procedure differs from the usual manner of handling packages of this type in that the composite flap 20 is formed last, whereas in the standard wrapping method a tuck similar to the tuck I! would have been formed prior to the folding down of the overlapping flaps. By this use of the composite flap, however, itis possible to preserve the entire length of the tearing strip free from more than one covering thickness of the wrapper. For this purpose, instead of folding the composite flap 20 down upon the second side ofthe wrapper it is folded over upon the top as will be best seen in Fig. 5. In' this latter figure the article has been turned over from the position shown in Fig. 4 so that it rests on the article bottom which was at the left in that figure. It will be understood that alloverlapping flaps are preferably secured together either by some sealing liquid or by the action of heat, and

that the tearing strip is preferably: adhesively secured to the'inside of the package either in spots 'orthroughout its length.

By. reason of the construction described, the

tearing strip lies adjacent the top of the package surface of the material it can very readily be pulled off, causing the entire top of the package to be removed. 'Were the composite flap 270 to be omitted. and the second side of the package formed in the usual way, it would not be possible bottom and the top, and extending from said faces in overlapping folds upon the bottom and the top, the wrapper at the second. side of the article having a tuck extending from the bottom against the second side and overlapping folds extending from the faces upon the second side, and a composite flap formed of said last-named overlapping folds and of those overlapping folds extending beyond the .top, said composite flap lying upon the top of the package and being secured to the overlapping folds thereon, and a tearing strip extending around the'article within the wrapper adjacent the top thereof and extending passing around one side and adjacent faces of the article, tucked from said side against the bottom and the top, and extending from said faces in overlapping folds upon the bottom and the top, the wrapper at the second side of the article having a tuck extending from the bottom against-the second side and overlapping folds extending from the faces upon the second side,

and a composite flap formed of said last-named overlapping folds and of those overlapping folds extending beyond the top, said composite flap lying upon the top of the package and being secured to the overlapping folds thereon, and a tearing strip extendingaround the article within the wrapper adjacent the top thereof and extending outwardly between the overlapping folds at the second side adjacent said composite flap, all said overlapping flaps being sealed together and the tearing strip being sealed to the inside surface of the wrapper.

JOHN R. TINDAL. 

